President Donald Trump vowed Friday that the United States would never forget the September 11, 2001 attacks and suggested the country was continuing the "war on terror" 25 years later by fighting Iran.

Speaking at the Pentagon after skipping the main 9/11 commemorations in New York, Republican Trump also hit out at domestic "fanatics" in an apparent swipe at Democrats.

"Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That's why we fight today," Trump said in a speech.

Relatives of those killed in the 9/11 attacks on Friday called out Saudi Arabia for alleged complicity in the carnage -- and chided past US presidents in attendance at a remembrance ceremony for failing to call Riyadh to account.

The September 11, 2001 attacks were carried out by mostly Saudi hijackers and orchestrated by mastermind Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi who founded Al-Qaeda. Washington maintains strong military and diplomatic ties with the kingdom.

BERLIN, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The likely leader of the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the far-right Alternative for Germany's Ulrich Siegmund, suggested a weapons producer could be allowed to operate in the state to provide resources for his party's planned deportation campaigns.

The AfD, which wants to restore ties with Russia and brands itself a "party of peace", opposes Germany's record defence spending under Chancellor Friedrich Merz and military support for Ukraine, raising questions about the future of a planned defence industry investment in the city of Sangerhausen.

By Mubasher Bukhari, Parisa Hafezi, Asif Shahzad and Ariba Shahid

ISLAMABAD/DUBAI, Sept 11 (Reuters) - For much of the past year, Pakistan has played a dual role as Riyadh's defence partner and Washington's backchannel to Tehran but this week's fighting between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement and Saudi forces is increasingly testing how long Islamabad can hold both positions at once.

By Alexander Cornwell, Rami Ayyub and Timour Azhari

Sept 11 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates is quietly revising plans for a 5-gigawatt AI data center project – one of the biggest outside the U.S. – after the Iran war prompted a rethink of how and where critical infrastructure should be built, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis seized a strategic Red Sea island on Friday after capturing territory along the coast, sealing their takeover of a vital shipping corridor linking Europe and Asia.

The development is likely to deepen the Middle East war's impact on international commerce, months after the strategic Strait of Hormuz was blockaded by Iran, which hailed its Yemeni allies' advance on Friday.

By Parisa Hafezi, Mohammed Ghobari and Timour Azhari

DUBAI/ADEN/RIYADH, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The lightning Houthi advance down Yemen's Red Sea coast this week came with direct guidance from Iran's Revolutionary Guards seeking to open a new front in Iran's war with the U.S., according to Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources.

By seizing the southwestern port city of Mocha, the Houthis have strengthened their chokehold on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key waterway whose disruption further constricts global energy supplies after Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

SINGAPORE, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Vessel transits at the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven on Thursday from 11 the previous day, preliminary ship-tracking data showed on Friday, well below the 10-day average of 15.

Of the seven vessels, two Panamax ships exited the strait, one carrying fertiliser and the other sailing in ballast, according to data from ship tracker Kpler as of 0306 GMT.

By Enas Alashray, David Brunnstrom and Jana Choukeir

CAIRO/WASHINGTON/DUBAI, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of Yemen's port city of Mocha on Thursday and advanced down the Red Sea coast to strategic islands, military sources said, hours after President Donald Trump said he expected the Iran war to end after the U.S. midterm elections.

SEOUL, Sept 11 (Reuters) - South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun discussed the situation in the Middle East, including freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, in a telephone call on Friday with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Cho expressed deep concern over the situation and voiced his hope for the restoration of lasting peace and stability in the region, the ministry said in a statement.